WATERSIDERS' DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22551, 5 November 1938, Page 18

WATERSIDERS' DISPUTE

♦ NO CHANGE AT AUCKLAND LONG CONFERENCE OF PARTIES MEETING OF MEN TO BE HELD TO-DAY (rRES9 ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, November 4. After a two and a half hour conference between representatives of the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union and the Port cf Auckland Shipping and Stevedores' Association this afternoon, the position in the dispute which arose over the working of two ships on Thursday remained unchanged. Representatives of the Stevedores' Association adhered to their attitude that the terms of the award should be adhered to pending a sitting of the Disputes Committee, and the position ■will be put to the men to-morrow by their delegates who attended today's conference. "The employers are prepared, when the Waiana and Kaimiro men turn to, to hold immediately a meeting of the disputes committee to deal with the dispute," said Captain R. S. Lewis, chairman of the Stevedores' Association after the conference. "Members on the employers' side will be taken from our management committee, which will mean that the watersiders will be able to meet rhe local heads of shipping companies. There will be three of them. In the meantime we wnYl awaVi \tve *a<asAsw\ c£ the men when they have the position outlined to them by the members of their executive who were present at the conference." • . Men To Decide To-day "There will be a meeting of the men at 8 o'clock to-morrow morning, and the position as outlined by the employers' representatives will be put to them," said Mr R. G. Jones, president of the Waterside Workers' Union. "We still maintain that the employers have not kept to the agreement because the men have been down there to-day, ready and willing to work on ether ships. They have been refused that right. The employers have not confined the dispute to the two ships, the Kaimiro and Waiana. If they liko they can make the dispute local to those two ships and carry on the ■work of the port. If incoming ships are'not worked it will be a matter entirely ,for the employers, because the men Will be there, ready and willing to do the work." The matter under dispute was for the men to decide, added Mr Jones. The executive had not instructed the men to .cease work, but had done I everything possible to bring about aj satisfactory solution; The employers had stated that they would not 'dis-1 cuss the matter further until the two vessels concerned were working, yet on the other hand the employers were, refusing, to man any other ships, ] thereby also breaking the agreement. "This is the outcome of the discontent that has beeft brewing for some time," said Mr Jones. "The men consider that they have hot been fairly treated in some matters, but there is still no reason why the present trouble should not be confined to the two Vessels concerned." '" Should the men decide not to return to work after to-morrow's meeting, and the employers adhere to their at- • titude, some of the vessels arriving in the week-end will be affected. The port is particularly quiet: at present, and the only vessels seriously affected are the two concerned in the dispute. The City of Glasgow, and the Mataroa will arrive to-morrow to complete loading for overseas ports, and the Trienza is due on Sunday night with cargo from. Nauru Island.